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VOTE YES ON THE ARTS TAX

Portland’s embarrassing lack of arts and music education
in our public schools puts our kids’ future at risk. Along with an
amazing coalition of educators, parents, local business people,
community leaders and citizens from throughout Portland, I believe
Measure 26-146 is a powerful and creative solution that will help keep
students engaged in school and on track to graduate.

Some have questioned if this proposal is really good for our schools [“Portrait of an Arts Tax,” WW,
Oct. 3, 2012]. As a teacher, a PPS parent and the president of the
Portland Association of Teachers, my answer is absolutely yes.

Measure 26-146 will
fully fund elementary arts teachers for all six Portland school
districts, ensuring that every Portland elementary school student gets
arts education every week. It will make arts supplies, arts programs and
arts field trips freely available to K-12 students citywide with
approximately $1.6 million in grant funds to schools and nonprofits. And
it will fund teachers on special assignment to coordinate arts
education opportunities for every K-12 student.

Measure 26-146 provides critical new funding and resources that are desperately needed by our schools. It won’t
require school districts to spend additional money on arts education at
the expense of other vital programs or force schools to hire new
teachers if they already offer weekly arts education.

Some have suggested
26-146 does not make a significant enough investment in arts education
because nearly half of the funds will be administered by the Regional
Arts and Culture Council. I believe this package is made stronger with
RACC’s inclusion.

RACC’s funding of
teachers on special assignment, art supplies, K-12 arts programs and
arts field trips are essential components of this arts education
package. The remaining 31 percent of the fund that RACC will invest in
arts access is a vitally important investment for our city. It will
further support arts education by funding organizations such as
Children’s Healing Art Project, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Portland
Youth Philharmonic, Young Audiences, Ethos Music Center, Metropolitan
Youth Symphony, Northwest Children’s Theater, and Tears of Joy Theatre.

Some have suggested
this measure would be hurtful to the low-income residents of our city. I
couldn’t disagree more. And I am not alone.

I stand with Street Roots,
perhaps the strongest voice for lower-income and marginalized people in
our community, which has endorsed Measure 26-146: “For $35 per person
we can fund not only public school programs but also programs generating
community involvement among people who are social and economically
marginalized.”

Every tax has its
problems. But I believe one of the most important problems we face is
the lack of arts and music education in our public schools—a hole in
basic curriculum that limits educational opportunities for our children.
Measure 26-146 is good for schools, good for kids, good for citizens
and good for the city. And our kids are counting on it and us to come
through.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Fax: (503) 243-1115, Email: mzusman@wweek.com

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